Wednesday, 7 December 2016

The Scalpel

When 30 St. Mary Axe - or the Swiss Re Building as it was officially called back then - was first christened The Gerkin back in 2004, witty Cockneys started something of a nicknaming tradition.

After the best part of a decade of rock bottom interest rates, development around the Square Mile and elsewhere is really going Radio Rental. I was out and about yesterday, so I got a few Dolly Mixtures.

There have been plenty of arresting new additions to the skyline, attracting in turn a range of amusing nicknames.

Here will be the latest offering down at Canary Wharf (you can just make out The Shard in the distant sunset).

Close to the famous Cheesegrater building, the latest 190 metre skyscraper to adorn the skyline will be The Scalpel on Lime Street.

The Scalpel was originally intended as a nickname too, having been lazily coined by the FT, but based upon recent trends the developers just decided to run with it.

The finished article will look something like this, scheduled for the end of 2017.